The Laidback and the Gracious
by sundayandsaturday
Summary: She is a close friend of captain Urahara Kisuke. But when Aizen causes Kisuke to be banished from Gotei 13, what will she do? She's heartbroken and doesn't know who else to turn to. In her state of loneliness, she turns to Aizen and his fake smiles and empty words. OCxUrahara. NOT A LOVE TRIANGLE. Rated T for language.
1. Totally Sober

Chapter 1: Totally Sober

"Kisuke…Come outside and get some fresh air. Stop spending everyday of your life inside of that God forsaken lab," Kina complained.

"Can't. I'm busy," came an indifferent voice from the lab. She let out a sigh as she opened her mouth to reply once more.

"Urahara Kisuke. I am ordering you to come out of that lab at once and enjoy your life instead of staying cooped up in there."

A pause came from the lab. "Nooo, you can't do that 'cause I'm a captain," he said whining. Even through the door, Kina could hear him smile.

"I'm coming inside," Kina declared.

"No, no, no, wait!" Kisuke immediately rushed to the door and opened it the slightest bit, only allowing his face to be shown. He poked his head out and looked at the growling woman before him.

"Oh…Why hello there, Kina! What are you doing here?" Urahara Kisuke laughed nervously and smiled sheepishly.

"Urahara…You have ten minutes to clean up whatever mess you made in there before I drag you out," Kina warned.

"But—But…I'm not done yet!"

"Just WHAT in God's name are you conjuring up in there?!" She paused. "Are you trying to summon the Devil, because if so, that is extremely dangerous and I am absolutely, like, definitely positive that Yoruichi won't approve!" Kina stopped for a second. "And just so you know, I am also very offended that you won't let me help you summon the Devil!" Kina tossed her chestnut hair over her shoulder with a flourish.

"…I'm not summoning the Devil, Kina…" Urahara deadpanned. Kina perked up and smiled.

"Well, that's good! Come on! There's a whole day ahead of us, and we are not letting that go to waste just because you're doing creepy shit in your lab!" Kina grabbed Kisuke by his captain's haori and dragged him out of his workspace.

"Wait! I—I didn't lock the door! H—Hiyori! Would you close the door, please! And Kina, will you let go please? Or so help me, God, I will report you to the Captain Commander! Kina!"

"Oh, Kisuke, how I missed spending time with you~ It seems that ever since you became captain of the 12th division, I'm just left to be the poor third seat from the first division! You should really stop being a genius; you're making me feel bad!" Kina exclaimed as she looked down at Kisuke who was being dragged along like a rag doll.

"…Kina, let go, please, the division members are staring…" Kisuke murmured quietly. The twelfth division members were staring at the two wondering how in the world their captain was being handled so recklessly by a skinny little girl who was a head shorter than their captain.

"I can't 'cause I promised Yoruichi that I wouldn't let go until we got to the second division." Kina said. "Man, all of my closest friends are captains…Maybe I should try harder if any of the lieutenants or captains happen to die or something…" Kina wondered aloud.

"Are you saying you want one of them to die?" Kisuke asked questioningly.

"Of course not! I'm not some crazy bitch who just kidnaps a captain of the Gotei 13 from their office!" Kina retorted.

Kisuke was quiet for the rest of the trip to Yoruichi's division. Despite Kisuke's sudden lack of words, Kina chattered away about her life and what she got when she went shopping. Kisuke couldn't help but let out an audible sigh of relief when Kina stopped talking. Kina squinted at Kisuke and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of Yoruichi.

"Yes! Now the gang's all here," Kina exclaimed, flinging her hands into the air.

"So what did you have in mind?" Yoruichi asked.

"Wait," Kisuke interrupted. Both females gave him questioning looks.

Kisuke continued, "Are you telling me, that you dragged me all the way here from my office and you haven't even made any plans?" His voice was eerily calm.

Both girls looked at each other before turning to him and nodding their heads in agreement.

"Something like that…" Kina remarked.

"Exactly what you said, Kisuke," Yoruichi smiled and laughed cheerily.

"...Okay, well, come and get me when you figure out whatever it is you guys need sorting out." As Kisuke turned to walk back to his division Kina came up with the most ingenious idea that had ever been said.

"Let's go to this new cafe in Seireitei. It was in the Communication and it's been getting really good reviews! It has tea and everything!" Her eyes shone as she described the cafe. Small and intimate with a touch of modern society.

"Oooohhh, Kina~ What a good idea," Yoruichi exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat.

Kisuke gave out a sigh of defeat as he watched the two ladies latch arms together and walk off to the cafe, Kina leading the way. He stuffed his hands in his sleeves and followed after them.

By the time they reached the cafe, Kisuke was bored out of his mind. He had no choice but the be the third wheel since all of Kina and Yoruichi's conversation consisted of was new fighting styles and who's hair looked best. They walked in and the bell above the door made a slight tinkling sound. They sat down at a vacant table to continue their conversation.

Yoruichi and Kisuke both gave Kina odd stares when she suddenly halted the conversation and pulled aside a waitress.

"Three cups. Two of them filled with tea, one with sake, comprehend?" Kina whispered in the waitresses ear, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Uh, pardon me, but who is the sake for?" came the timid reply of the waitress.

"The pretty boy in the captain's haori," Kina replied with a devious wink. And with an enthusiastic push from Kina, the waitress stumbled away to prepare her orders. Kina returned to the table with a victorious smirk.

"What did you do, and why do you have that look on your face?" Kisuke questioned, squinting his eyes.

"Nothing you need to know, but trust me, it'll be amusing," Kina snickered. She winked at Yoruichi and she smiled, immediately understanding the situation.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. What was that? Is that some kind of secret girl language that guys aren't meant to understand?" Kisuke questioned, beginning to grow uneasy at the secretive winks and smiles the two girls were giving each other.

"Our drinks are here!" Kina exclaimed, completely ignoring Kisuke's question. Yoruichi and Kina anxiously waited for Kisuke's reaction.

"Is it me or does my tea taste weird?" Kisuke said, taking a sip out of his cup. The two girls snickered behind their cups, trying hard to not laugh.

Before Kina could retort with something sarcastic, a hell butterfly flew from the open window and perched on the rim of Yoruichi's cup.

"Yoruichi, your services are needed, come as soon as possible to Division One." Yoruichi was up and out the door before the sentence was finished.

"You didn't even drink your tea!" Kina sighed.

"Who's going to pay now?" Kina wondered aloud. She immediately turned to Kisuke. However, the only thing she saw was an empty seat.

"Kisuke? Kisuke! Where has he gone now?" Kina grumbled as she pushed her chair back. A startled squeak was heard from underneath the table.

"No way," Kina breathed. Preparing herself for the possible monstrosity she was about to see, she lifted the tablecloth. Kisuke Urahara was indeed under the table. Red faced and hiccupping, Kisuke crawled out from under the table and dusted himself off. Kisuke directed his attention to Kina.

"My, my! Kina, is that you? Y-you never told me you had a s-sister!" Kisuke swooned. Kina turned around in confusion.

"A sister? No, I don't have a- Wait, Kisuke, are you _drunk_?" Kina questioned curiously.

"Well, my dear Kina, there are two of you, but I m-must say. You are d-definitely the more attractive one," Kisuke slurred. A pink tinge made itself visible on Kina's pale cheeks as she pushed Kisuke in the direction of his laboratory. Kisuke's constant compliments certainly didn't help Kina's growing blush as they approached his laboratory.

"You're getting lovelier by the second, Kina," Kisuke breathed as he leaned on her shoulders while she fished out the laboratory keys from his pocket. When the click of the lock sounded and the door swung open, Kisuke abandoned his spot on her shoulder and dashed inside.

"Make sure you rest and drink plenty of water so you don't get a hangover, okay?" Kina reminded Kisuke as he nudged her towards the exit. She spun around when they reached the doorway and put her hands on her hips.

"Did you even hear anything that I just said? Kisuke? Kisuke!"

"Yes, mother," Kisuke teased. Kina let out an exasperated sigh which turned into a surprised squeak as she felt herself being pulled into a strong embrace.

"What a terrible thing you did, Kina, replacing my tea with sake," Kisuke shook his head.  
"Wait, you knew?" Kina said as she squirmed in his grasp.

"Of course I d-did. A captain who can't tell the difference b-between tea and sake isn't worth his salt," Kisuke exclaimed confidently. Kina stuck her tongue out at him.

"I only drank it because I wanted to make y-you laugh," he muttered. Kina stopped resisting and relaxed in his arms. Kina hesitantly hugged him back. They stood there for a while, taking in each other's warmth. When finally-

"Thank you, Kina," Kisuke muttered as he fell asleep, arms still wrapped around her waist.

"H-hey! You idiot, don't pass out while we're standing upright," Kina complained. Kisuke only snored in reply. Shaking her head, Kina dragged his limp body to a cot in the corner of the room. With a final look at his sleeping form, she closed the door behind her, and walked back to her division with a small smile on her face.


	2. Havoc

A hell butterfly came fluttering in through the door while Kina was with Kisuke in his lab.

"All captains are to report in for an emergency meeting at Division One's headquarters," the hell butterfly stated.

"Sorry, duty calls," Kisuke apologised as he walked Kina to the door. He gave her a quick hug as he flash stepped off to Division One. In the meantime, Kina started wandering around Seireitei. She bumped into Aizen who was carrying a stack of paperwork.

"Oh, hello, Aizen. Sorry for bumping into you," Kina offered a courteous bow and smiled lightly.

"No problem, now if you'll excuse me, I must get going," Aizen smiled and waved goodbye as he went on his way to Division Five.

What to do...What to do… Kina thought to herself as she walked along the streets of Seireitei. And for the second time that night, she bumped into something she had not been paying attention to.

Huh? What the hell did I bump into…? She wondered to herself. A cough came from the ground. Kina looked down to see a head of white hair.

"Down here," Hitsugaya stated coldly.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry I didn't see you," Kina offered her apologies but the Third Seat of Division Ten seemed disinterested.

"No worries," he said. "Stupid tall people…" he scowled.

"What was that?" Kina asked, smiling deviously.

"Huh? Nothing," he said crossing his arms haughtily.

"Really?" she said, leaning closer to him.

"Yeah, I'm sure I said nothing. I'm pretty positive I would know what comes out of my mouth."

"Sassy, sassy little boy you are, you little snob," Kina sniffed disdainfully. Her hazel eyes flashed dangerously.

"Well that's what you get for being so damn tall!" he yelled.

"Hmph. You don't have to be so rude...shorty," she winked at him and smiled. "Bye bye now!"

She ran past him and twiddled her fingers as a farewell. Now Hitsugaya Toshiro never cursed or anything of the sort, but for the first time ever since Rangiku had bumped into him at the market back in Jurin'an, he uttered a word he never used.

"Bitch."

As Kina was walking along Seireitei, she thought it was time to turn in at the Division One barracks.

A loud blast came from the woods of Rukongai.

"What the hell…?" Kina turned towards the sound of the blast. She looked around for Shinigami nearby. Seeing none nearby, she took it upon herself to go and investigate.

When she arrived at the scene, it was already cleared out and no one was there. The only thing left were scarce patches of blood on the grass.

"Must've been my imagination then…" Kina was about to turn and leave until she felt a reiatsu from the bushes to her right. She walked over to the bushes with her zanpakuto drawn. She pushed her zanpakuto forward a little and tapped against the air. Ripples of energy emerged and she reached forward and pulled at the air. Three Shinigami were revealed to be standing under the cover of kidou.

"What were you doing?" Kina demanded.

"Nothing, just training," came Aizen's answer.

"You're a lieutenant. What could possibly make you want to train?" Aizen's smile faltered for a millisecond, but he quickly regained control and replied smoothly, "I'm helping these two train. Apparently things got a little too heated so I cast a bakudo spell over us as to not disturb the residents of Seireitei."

"Oh. That sounds...reasonable?" Kina stated flatly, sheathing her sword. Despite Aizen's straightforward answer, she couldn't help but feel a nagging feeling in her chest. She bid Aizen farewell, and went back to her division barracks. Aizen watched her retreating figure, his brown eyes shining with mischievous glint. A new figure came into the clearing and stood next to Aizen.

"Ohhh, Lieutenant Aizen, she looks pretty cute," Gin commented.

"I suppose," Aizen said. "She'll be a valuable asset to our plans, Gin, Tousen" a smirk found its way to Aizen's lips. Another figure emerged from the shadows.

"Whoa, Tousen! You can't just turn up out of nowhere," Gin said, holding a hand to his heart. Tousen ignored his inferior question and turned to the person who would supposedly lead him on his path for "justice."

"Would you like me to kill her?" he asked.

"Not for now. She could help us in our plans."

"Yes, sir, Aizen," Tousen nodded affirmatively.

The next day, Kina went and visited the the Shinigami Research and Development Institute only to discover that Kisuke was not there or in his office. She went on to the Second Division to ask Yoruichi about his whereabouts, but was surprised to find that she was not there either. Not to mention, Shinigami all over Seireitei were stoic and unresponsive. Whenever she tried to pry answers from them, they immediately went silent and only shook their heads. Finally giving up, she went to Captain Commander Yamamoto for answers.

"Did you not hear, child? They've been exiled," he said solemnly. "Along with Captains Muguruma Kensei, Hirako Shinji, Aikawa Rabu, and Otoribashi Rojuro and Lieutenants Sarugaki Hiyori and Yadomaru Lisa. President of the Kido Corps Tsukabishi Tessai and Vice President Ushoda Hachigen have been added to the sentence as well. Urahara Kisuke was accused of the hollowfication of the Captains of the Ninth, Seventh, Fifth, and Third Divisions along with Lieutenants of the Twelth and Eighth Division and Vice President of the Kido Corps, Ushoda Hachigen. Shihoin Yoruichi and Tsukabishi Tessai are believe to be his accomplices. They escaped this morning to the Human World with the seven experimental subjects. "

Kina's head spun. Her vision blurred as she tried to uncover the meaning behind this new information. She muttered a quick farewell to the captain and exited his office stiffly. Her legs felt like lead as she moved through the empty halls. Kina headed off towards her division's barracks, but found herself standing in front of Kisuke's office. She leaned against the cool metal door and set her hand on the fading silver doorknob. She was about to turn the knob when the door swung open, and she fell forward into a strong pair of arms.

"Oh, Kina! What are you doing here?" came a silken voice. There was no reply.

"Kina?" Aizen tilted her chin up and was surprised to see tears streaming down her cheeks. Kina buried her face into his robes and let out a loud sob. Aizen brushed her tears away and looked down at her. He opened his mouth to say something in hopes of comforting her, but stopped when he heard her clear her throat.  
"How could he do this? He betrayed us," Kina said shakily. She pronounced each syllable carefully, slowly, as if she didn't believe herself. The words left a bitter taste on her tongue. Aizen remained silent. Kina took this as the cue to continue.

"Maybe that was what he was trying to hide from me the other day. He had been awfully secretive before.. the incident. Who does he think he is, pulling off such a stunt?" Kina vented. Aizen decided not to answer that.

"You wouldn't do that, would you, Aizen? I don't know what I'd do if I lost another friend," She continued, voice wavering. She looked up at him with watering eyes. The second wave of tears threatened to spill out any second.

"Of course I wouldn't," Aizen reassured her. "Urahara Kisuke has done something very wrong. He made such a lovely woman cry. Rest assured, Kina. There won't be any repeats of this with me," Aizen soothed. Kina looked at Aizen with wide eyes, and Aizen feared that he had said something wrong. He relaxed as the corners of her lips turned up in a small smile. Kina seemed satisfied with his answer and stood up straight. She gave him a small smile and bowed, and quickly made her way back to her division. Aizen gave himself a mental pat on the back as he watched her walk away. Everything was going according to plan.


	3. Plot Twist

Chapter III: PLOT TWIST  
"Attention all Shinigami, attention all Shinigami, ryoka have infiltrated Seireitei. I repeat, ryoka have infiltrated Seireitei. All Shinigami are to intercept the ryoka and capture them to bring them before the Captain Commander."  
As the words of the hell butterfly rang out this message repeatedly to every Shinigami in Soul Society, Kina sat up in the meadow and picked up her zanpakuto.  
"What are you going to do, Kina?" a voice chimed from her inner world.  
"Don't know. I'll probably just sit by the sidelines and watch until people start dying," Kina shrugged nonchalantly and picked up her sword and headed back to Seireitei.  
"As you wish, Kina," came the reply.  
Kina tucked her sword in her obi and walked off to Seireitei. She passed Ichimaru Gin, who was now Captain of Third Division now.  
"Captain Aizen wants ta talk to ya," he said with his usual smile.  
"I see." Kina said coldly as she headed off to Fifth Division.  
By the time she reached there, Aizen was nowhere to be found.  
"I see you've arrived, Kina," a voice said from behind her. She turned around to face the Captain of Fifth Division. "I would like to know why you've refused my request to become my lieutenant."  
"Didn't you say that you would wait as long as I need until I'm ready to tell you?"  
"I did. However, I've grown tired of waiting."  
"There was no reason for my refusal."  
"Could you still have feelings for the former Captain of the Twelfth Division?"  
At this, Kina froze. Could she have the feelings for Kisuke? She shook her head. He betrayed her. He left her. He didn't trust her. Kina frowned at this and her reiatsu started to rise.  
"Of course not, Captain Aizen. It has been a century. It would be ridiculous if I were to love a man who betrayed Soul Society," she ground out. She turned on her heel and stalked off without another word. The nerve of that man. And to think he's my friend. Screw sitting on the sidelines. I'm going to look for this Kurosaki Ichigo guy and beat his ass.  
She headed off to the closest reiatsu only to find, to her chagrin, a dark haired boy wearing Quincy clothes. She walked towards and grabbed his cape.  
"Where is Kurosaki Ichigo?" she demanded.  
"I'm not telling," he replied haughtily.  
"Would it help if I forced it out of you?" she growled, unsheathing her zanpakuto. She tossed him away from her and pointed her sword at him.  
"Get up, little boy."  
He wiped his chin and stood before her. As he prepared to fire an arrow, Kina straightened up from her fighting stance and sheathed her zanpakuto.  
"You're a Quincy," she stated.  
"So what if I am? And why'd you sheath your sword?" he asked skeptically.  
"I've fought so many Quincy, I've gotten bored of them. Defeating you should be a piece of cake."  
"I'm gonna make you eat those words." he sneered at her and fired an arrow. Kina caught the arrow in her hands and shattered it with sheer force. Ishida gulped and stood up straight. There was absolutely no way that he could beat her. He turned around and started running towards Ichigo. Kina smirked and flash stepped over to Ishida so that she was standing in front of him.  
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you were going to make me eat my words?" Kina smirked and drew her zanpakuto. She point the tip towards Uryuu and leaned forward.  
"I'll ask you one more time. Where is Kurosaki Ichigo?"

By the time Kina had reached the entrance of the Shrine of Penitence, Byakuya was already facing Ichigo. She was surprised to see that Ichigo was fighting on par with the Captain of the Sixth Division. After settling down on a rooftop, she sees a blur of orange fly past her. Squinting her eyes, she stood up, hand on the hilt of her sword in case she were to make use of it. Could it be… No… That's impossible. Even if she was trying to convince herself that it wasn't her old purple haired friend, she couldn't ignore that nagging feeling inside her chest. If Yoruichi was here...could that mean that he was here too? Her reiatsu rose considerably at the thought of him. At the sudden emergence of another reiatsu, Byakuya and Yoruichi turned towards her.  
"Third Seat Kina, what are you doing?" Byakuya asked, bored. Yoruichi widened her eyes at the mention of her name and turned towards her.  
"K-Kina?" Yoruichi stuttered. Kina ignored Yoruichi and flash stepped in front of Byakuya.  
"Forgive me. I was merely looking for a fight," Kina drawled. Her eyes darted to Yoruichi for a moment before darting back towards Byakuya.  
"I wanted to fight the orange haired ryoka. But seeing as he is unconscious, it seems that I can't anymore." As Kina turned to leave, Yoruichi called her name, "W-Wait! Kina!"  
"Go away, Shihoin," Kina said, only turning head slightly. "I don't want to hear your excuses."

Three days had passed and Kina was starting to grow even more uneasy. The Tenth Division Captain, Hitsugaya Toshiro, had asked her to accompany him to Central 46. By the time they had gotten there, the guards that usually protected the entrance of Central 46 were nowhere to be found, making it unbelievably easy to get into. When they approached the desks, all 46 members were dead in their seats. Just when they were about to go in deeper, Lieutenant Kira appeared at the doorway and Captain Hitsugaya gave chase. She smirked to herself and walked in a few more feet before she was greeted by an alive and breathing Captain Aizen.  
"Captain Aizen, it's good to see you're alive and well."  
Just as Aizen was about to reply, Hitsugaya, Hinamori, Unohana, and Isane all arrived.  
"So you were alive all along, Captain Aizen," Unohana said, her eyebrows drawing together in a worried expression. However, before they could speak anymore, Kina charged at Aizen, her zanpakuto drawn.  
"Electrocute all! Denki no Sogi!"  
Her zanpakuto transformed into a souba and sparks of electricity of were flying around the tips. A beam of electricity came from the sword and made it's way towards Aizen. The beam pierced Aizen through the chest. Just when Kina thought it was all over, Aizen broke into a million pieces. Before Kina could react to the reiatsu behind her, a sword protruded from the middle of her stomach.  
"Sorry, Kina. It was nice knowing you," Aizen smirked as he retracted his blade and Kina fell to the ground. Dead.

Kina's surroundings suddenly changed. She no longer saw the familiar surroundings of Central 46. Looking around, she found herself standing on the rocky mesa of Sokyoku Hill. She saw the tall poles of the Sokyoku loom over her, and on the opposite end she saw the great white forest. She was surprised to find that her wound had stopped bleeding- no, it was gone altogether. Must've been Aizen's doing, Kina thought to herself. Suddenly, a huge blast of heat radiated from the Sokyoku. The whole hill was bathed in its light and heat. The Hogyoku was going to be in their possession. The Kurosaki boy leapt forward. What was he doing? Kina stared, dumbfounded as Ichigo blocked the Kikoo with his zanpakuto.  
"Did he really just-" Kina couldn't even finish her sentence. Almost immediately after the first attempt, the hill was once again bathed in the piercing light and heat. Aizen was growing impatient. The light stopped. The Sokyoku was destroyed by Ukitake and Kyoraku, the Shihoin Shield in their possession. Kina heard Aizen mumble profanities under his breath. Aizen turned to Kina.  
"I think its about time we get what we came here for, don't you think, Kina?" Aizen stated flatly. Kina heard footsteps approaching them.  
"Kina? I heard from Isane that you were dead! You were impaled by Aizen!" came a voice behind her. She turned around to see Abarai Renji looking at her from his place on the ground, bewildered.  
"Is that so? I was wondering what Captain Aizen was making Isane and Captain Unohana see."  
"What do you mean?" Renji asked, completely misunderstanding.  
"It's nothing you need to know," said  
Kina, effectively drawing the conversation to an end. She turned towards Aizen. "Have you gotten the Hogyoku yet?"  
"Not yet...Gin has her."  
Aizen took Rukia from Gin and retrieved the Hogyoku from Rukia's soul.  
"Unfortunately, I have no use for her anymore. Kina, kill her," Aizen held Rukia up by her reiatsu repressing collar.  
"Electrocute all, Denki no Sogi." Another ray of lightning came out from her souba, but instead of hitting Rukia, it had hit Byakuya who now had a hole in the side of his abdomen.  
"My bad," Kina stated uncaringly. She had never liked Rukia. Always stuttering and getting herself into trouble. She should have known better than to give her powers to a mere human. It was her fault for getting herself in this damned mess anyways. Then again, it was because of Rukia that they were finally able to execute their plans.  
"Let's go, Gin, Tousen, Kina," ordered Aizen, brushing past them. Kina's zanpakuto turned back into its sealed state and Kina sheathed it, ignoring the surprised looks on the Gotei 13's faces. No one would have ever guessed that Kina, the silent Third Seat who always loved doing her duty, would join the traitors. The Shinigami of Soul Society started to make their way to the defectors. Just as they reached attacking range, a rip in the dimensional fabric appeared-and with it, came a horde of Menos Grandes. Four boxes of yellow light came from from the Menos and encased the four Shinigami deserters. Looking at Ichigo- who was lying on the ground having been cut up by Aizen- she uttered one last thing before being brought into the clutches of the Menos, "Tell Urahara I said 'hi.'"


	4. Hueco Mundo

Chapter IV: HUECO MUNDO  
Kina felt worried as she stepped onto the white sand of Hueco Mundo. It wasn't her first time there- no, she had visited with Aizen to tour the grand palace in Las Noches. Every time she arrived, she always felt weary and unsettled. After thinking of all the possible reasons, she finally concluded that it was the lack of color. The monochromatic theme was unappealing compared to the buildings at Soul Society. The buildings in Soul Society emitted a welcoming and warm aura, whereas the ones in Las Noches emitted the aura of- well, death. She followed Aizen into the white palace and into the meeting room. In the center of the room was a long table with chairs. Occupying the chairs were Espada, the ten strongest Hollow-Shinigami hybrids. Kina spotted the Espada that Aizen had introduced to her. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Aaroniero Arruruerie and Ulquiorra Cifer. Kina nodded to them and took her place in between Gin and Aizen. Looking around, she was relieved to find that she was not the only female. A previous Vasto Lorde who went by the name Tier Harribel. Kina found herself getting along with Harribel the most out of all the other Espada, and requested her to be her escort around the palace. Out of all the Espada, she had to admit that she was most fond of Harribel. As she got to know the Tercera Espada, or the Tres Espada as Harribel liked to introduce herself as, she found herself enjoying Hueco Mundo. On a regular day, she would wake up and wander the halls, waiting to find something interesting. She knew about Aizen's plan but never attended the meetings. Even if she did, she only stayed for half of the meeting before taking her leave and each time, Aizen always asked her why she was leaving. Half of the time, she had replied with a simple, "I've got better things to do."  
Slowly, she started dressing like the Arrancar; white robe with bell sleeves accompanied with her normal Shinigami shihakusho with the colors inverted along with black tabi and white waraji. Her obi changed from her normally expensive ice blue obi she had bought on a shopping spree with Kisuke to a simple gray sash. Her zanpakuto was no longer tucked in her obi. Instead, she tied a red string to it, carrying it over her shoulder or strapping it across her chest.  
_Just you wait, Kisuke…_


	5. Caught

Chapter V: CAUGHT  
"Lord Aizen wants you to go to the Human World to report on Kurosaki Ichigo's progress," said Ulquiorra. "He told me to give you this." He handed her a black cloak. She recognised it as a reiatsu concealing cloak. His green, melancholy eyes looked upon her emotionlessly. She never knew what to feel when talking with him. Kina had always felt he thought of her condescendingly, or as trash as he likes to put it, but his superior at the same time because of her relationship with Aizen.  
"Understood. Tell him I'll leave right away," she replied without looking towards him and took the cloak and slipped it on. She opened a Garganta and stepped through it. Millions of thoughts raced through her head as she walked upon the pristine road made of her own reiatsu. She wondered if she had really made the right choice of joining Aizen. It had cost her her relationship with Society along with Kisuke. She raised her head and saw that the path had ended. She broke through the dimensional fabric separating the Human World from Hueco Mundo and stepped towards the light. She found herself standing above the buildings of Karakura Town. She smiled and started walking towards the nearest reiatsu and saw herself standing 70 meters above the Urahara Shop.  
Wrong reiatsu, she thought to herself, her upper lip curling in a snarl. Her stomach tightened, just thinking about him made her sick to her knees  
Now...Where are the pseudo-Arrancar?  
She closed her eyes and used Pesquisa, a technique shown to her by Ulquiorra, and allowed herself to search for the reiatsu the Visored were giving off. Having come up with nothing, she decided the most effective way to find Kurosaki Ichigo was simply by wandering in the warehouse district. What other place could the Visored have had hidden in? They couldn't possible have Human money to rent an actual apartment either. The only reasonable place to hide would be a warehouse

After walking a while, she came upon a plot of empty land amongst the rows of warehouses. She knew at once that this was the Visored's warehouse. She coated her hand with concealing bakudo and outstretched her hand to touch the barrier. As soon as her hand made contact with the barrier, the warehouse became visible. She applied more pressure on the muscles in her arms and forced herself forward while cloaking herself with concealing bakudo. She had successfully entered the rundown warehouse. The walls were coated with a grime and the grounds were covered with dirt tracked in from outside.  
I can't believe they live in such conditions, Kina thought, crinkling her nose in disgust. She froze and stopped in her tracks. She could hear faint fighting noises in the distant. Wondering where it came from, she wandered around the large space until she stepped on a plate hidden in the concrete floors. The floor separated to reveal a staircase heading down to to the fighting noises. She stepped down onto the staircase while incorporating kido into her cloak to blend in with her surroundings. She walked into the underground training area to see Kurosaki Ichigo with a hollow mask on. She widened her eyes and walked close enough to observe the fight. From what she could see, Yadomaru Lisa was fighting Ichigo, goading him to keep his hollow mask on. Their blades clashed and attacks were blocked. It was about eleven seconds before Ichigo's mask started to crack. As Kina turned to leave, Shinji stood up, "Oi, Kensei, Hiyori. Come with me upstairs for a sec." And Kina could swear he shot a look at her. She brushed it off and followed them upstairs, curious as to what was going to take place.

Once the four of them reached upstairs, Shinji walked for a few meters before stopping and turning to face Kensei and Hiyori.  
"You can come out now...Kina." Kensei and Hiyori's eyes widened. They turned around to see Kina taking off her cloak.  
"I'm surprised you managed to sense me with this cloak on."  
"Your kido wavered the second you saw Ichigo with his Hollow mask on," stated Shinji, drawing his zanpakuto.  
"Even so, why did you call Captain Kensei and Lieutenant Hiyori up here?" she asked questioningly.  
"I'm not stupid. I know what your powers are like. In order to ensure enough manpower, I had to bring these two. So tell me, why did you come here?"  
"On Captain Aizen's orders of course. I was ordered to report on Kurosaki Ichigo's progress. Although I must admit, it seems that we have nothing to worry about," Kina smiled mysteriously and placed her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto. "Now, it you'll excuse me, I must be going back to Hueco Mundo."  
"Sorry, but we can't let you do that," Shinji smirked and materialised his mask just so that it was lying over his head. He charged towards her, his sword poised and ready to strike. Just as he got to her, her sword came up to meet his.  
"Electrocute all, Denki no Sogi."  
Her sword transformed into a souba and an arch of lightning shot out from the tips.  
"Souba, eh? I see. A sword with a set of parallel blades on it instead of one single blade. It's meant to wrestle the opponent's blade of of their hands, but with it's wide range of attack, it can be used to the wielder's advantage."  
Kina remained silent, her eyes focused on his hand, which was now poised over the mask, ready to pull it down and utilise it. Kensei and Hiyori had also drawn their zanpakuto and were now standing, waiting for a moment to strike.  
Shinji attacked once more however, this time, his blade hit right in-between the two blades of Kina's sword. She smirked, "Bad move."  
She angled her wrist and flicked it, wrenching the sword out of Shinji's hands. Kensei and Hiyori attacked. Kensei came at her right while Hiyori came at her left. Kina then grabbed her zanpakuto with both hands and applied pressure to the hilt. Her reiatsu skyrocketed and she pulled the sword apart, now wielding two regular sized zanpakuto. The Visored's eyes widened and blades clashed. Having heard the commotion upstairs, Ichigo came out in his bankai mode, and his eyes widened.  
"Y-You're that lady...That went with Aizen," he said, dumbfounded. He materialised his mask and pulled it over his face.  
"Stop, Ichigo! You're not well trained enough yet!"  
"Getsuga...Tensho!" A tightly packed wave of reiatsu came rushing at her, the spiritual energy flickering. Kina's eyes widening just slightly, she flash stepped in front of Ichigo and kicked him away. Taking advantage of this window of opportunity to escape, she jumped out of the window and into the sky. Hurriedly, she opened a Garganta and escaped to Hueco Mundo to report on what just happened.  
That's strange...He didn't have that ability the last time I saw him...Maybe that's what Captain Aizen warned me about…

Back at the warehouse, Ichigo and the others were breathing hard, trying to catch their breath.  
"That woman...Who was she?" Ichigo asked.  
"I thought you knew. You just said she was the one that went with Aizen," replied Shinji, picking up his zanpakuto.  
"No...I mean...How is she so powerful? And how did she kick me away so easily?" asked Ichigo, eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought.  
"I would've been surprised if she wasn't. She was the former Third Seat of the First Division. Not only did she not get a Captain's seat when we were banished, she also didn't apply, I heard. Which is surprising, considering she could have easily been one of the top candidates to make it," Shinji sheathed his zanpakuto and stood up, facing Ichigo. "Oi, are you gonna sit there all day?"

"I think I'm gonna go see Urahara for a sec," Ichigo finally replied.  
Shinji was lost in thought, and only grunted in acknowledgement.

Ichigo reached the Urahara Shop, only to be greeted by a solemn Kisuke, his trademark fan hovering in front of his face.  
"Come on in, Kurosaki," Kisuke said, walking into the shop.

Once inside, Urahara sat down in front of the table, a steaming cup of tea placed in front of him.  
"I'm guessing you saw her at the warehouse?" he asked, hat pulled over his eyes.  
"Yeah...How'd you know?"  
"I figured she would come sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before she would've found out that you were honing your hollow skills."  
"Who was she anyways?"  
"Her name is Kina. She was the Third Seat of First Division until she betrayed Soul Society and left with Aizen. We used to be very close friends, that is, until the day I got banished from Soul Society and left."  
"You left?" Ichigo asked.  
Urahara nodded, his face stoic. "Yoruichi told me she seemed colder and more formal, compared to when we were still together in Seireitei."  
Urahara reminisced all of this with bitter words. Memories of when they were together had always plagued his mind. He shook his head, wanting to get rid of the painful past. The atmosphere suddenly changed, and Ichigo became nervous. Sensing that Urahara wasn't going to answer any more questions, he made up an excuse and left the older man to his thoughts. As the door closed, Kisuke sighed.  
"Why, Kina?"


	6. Reminiscing

Chapter VI: REMINISCING

Kina pulled her hair into a braid as she stepped into the meeting room where Aizen, Gin, and Tousen were waiting.

"Kina, how nice of you to join us. Please, have a seat," Aizen gestured to the tall chairs centered around the table. She bowed her head in respect but didn't sit down. Instead, she leaned against the far wall and listened intently. Aizen took her gesture as a sign to continue.

"Ulquiorra has been dispatched to the Human World to commence the capture of Inoue Orihime. I believe her powers may be essential to the upcoming. Simply put, she has the ability to reject and reverse matter. It treads on the boundaries between God and Humans," Aizen said, leaning against his hand.

What an interesting group of misfit shinigami, Kina thought.

"Kurosaki Ichigo has learned to control his hollow mask," she blurted out, walking a few steps closer to the table.

"I see."

"However, he can only maintain it for eleven seconds or so before it breaks. Based on

this information, we should be good for the Winter War," she said before turning around and taking her leave.

"Lord Aizen has not dismissed you," Tousen said, flash stepping in front of her.

"I have better things to do than be told about a group of wannabe Shinigami," she

pushed her way past the past Captain of the Ninth Division.

* * *

It had been an hour after Inoue Orihime had been brought to Las Noches and Grimmjow had reclaimed his position as the Sexta Espada. Kina was currently wandering the halls, waiting for the impending invasion. She still had an urge to kill the orange haired ryoka boy. She passed Inoue's room to hear her pathetic whimpers and sobs. Despite not caring for her, she couldn't help but enter the room to see her kneeling against the wall with her head in her knees.

"Stop crying, you're disturbing my free time," Kina told her heartlessly.

"My sincerest apologies," Inoue sniffled through her tears. She raised her arm to wipe at her eyes and Kina couldn't help but see the tiniest sliver of herself when she discovered that Kisuke had left her.

"Your friends are coming here to get you soon, you know."

"Yes, but I don't want them to!" Orihime wailed. "They'll get hurt!"

Kina rolled her eyes at this and retorted, "Your friends are coming to save you and you don't act grateful. Spoiled little brat you are!"

She grabbed Inoue's arms and pulled it away from her face.

"Stop crying right now, and be grateful for the fact that you have friends that are willing to risk their life for you."

Kina stalked away towards the doorway but stopped once she heard Inoue.

"Mr. Urahara…"

"What did you just say…?" Kina's voice wavered as she turned around slowly. Inoue made a sound that sounded like a squeak of terror.

"Don't you dare speak his name while I'm in the same room as you, bitch," Kina seethed, pointing a finger at Inoue's surprised face. Kina fumed and walked to the doorway of the room. As she was about to open the door, the door opened on its own, surprising Kina. Loly and Menoly stood at the door, eyes widening once they saw the female Shinigami in front of them. Their scowl transformed into a look of adoration at the sight of their role model.

"L-Lady Kina!" they shouted in unison, stepping aside to let her through and dropping down to their knees whilst lowering their heads. Kina simply brushed past them with a simple grunt of acknowledgement. As Kina disappeared down the hall, they stood up, brushing themselves off and turning to Orihime. Their look of adoration was wiped off their face and replaced with the same jealous scowl.

"Lord Aizen wants to see you," Loly seethed through her anger.

Kina didn't know what to do. She was wandering around the fortress aimlessly, her reiatsu spiking. She could feel the walls groan at the immense pressure of her reiatsu. As much as she tried to rein in her power, her thoughts kept straying back to Kisuke.

* * *

Kina watched Kisuke intently as he looked over his charts and diagrams. He reached for a pencil to make corrections to an equation, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She smiled absently in happiness. Urahara looked up at her, smiling. It was just a normal day in Seireitei. The temperature outside was sweltering. Shinigami from the Eleventh Division were out in the sun, doing their normal drills and sparring. Members of the Fourth Division were out running around doing their daily chores. Kina had come to Twelfth Division to seek the coolness of Kisuke's lab. She leaned against the cool marble table as Kisuke continued his research. He was looking over a diagram of the Human body. Surprisingly, their body structure was no different than theirs.

"What'cha makin' there, Kisuke?" Kina asked, leaning on her hands, elbows on the table. She had a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It's a body for Shinigami when they go on missions in the Human World. I call it a gigai. By entering one of these, you can interact with humans. Neat, huh?" Kisuke replied, his eyes lighting up as he looked into hers.

"Oh, that's cool! Can I try?" Kina walked over to him, her neck craning out to read the scribbled notes and diagrams Kisuke drew.

"W-What?! It's not finished yet! I haven't even finished the prototype yet!" Kisuke looked at her astoundedly. Kina pouted at him and shrugged. She pecked him on the cheek and skipped off, "Tell me when you do! I wanna be one of the first people to try it out! ...Or maybe twentieth in case it doesn't work out...Haha…"

She smiled sheepishly before flash stepping off to wander the streets of Seireitei.

Kisuke shook his head at her.

She really is something… Kisuke thought, turning back to his work.

* * *

"AUUGGHHHH!" Kina let out a roar of anger and punched the nearest wall. The wall started to crack before shattering, creating a huge crater. Kina widened her eyes before walking away quickly.

Captain Aizen won't be too happy about that…

* * *

Kina eventually made it to the surveillance rooms. She looked into the room to see Gin standing at the controls, fiddling with the buttons. She walked up to him and peeked over his shoulder, her reiatsu perfectly concealed.

"Are you messing with the hallways?" she asked, startling the silver haired man.

"Awww, Kina, you shouldn't surprise someone like tha'," Gin smiled mysteriously at her. "I'm simply checking on their progress."

He gestured to the screen depicting Kurosaki Ichigo running along the halls of Las Noches with a seemingly small child on his shoulders. Kina glanced at the screen with an unfeeling look in her eyes.

"I see. I'll go intercept him if things get too serious."

"Now, now, Kina. Captain Aizen wouldn't wan' tha'. If you went an' fought him, he'd die in a second," Gin said, frowning a bit.

"Are you saying this is another one of his plans?" Kina asked, not a hint of caring in her voice. Gin nodded and smirked. He turned and continue fiddling with the corridors. Kina reached over him and connected him to a hallway leading to the general location of Ulquiorra's reiatsu.

Gin looks at her smiling widely, "My, my, Kina, do you 'ave somethin' against him?"


End file.
